1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a front structure of a vehicle body, and more particularly to an open cowl type front structure of a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In view of the fact that the vehicle body supports the overall weight of the vehicle and determines the overall shape of the vehicle, the vehicle body must be provided with sufficient strength and rigidity, while on the other hand, from the viewpoint of fuel economy and running performance, it is preferred that the vehicle body be as light as possible. In order to satisfy these conflicting requirements, various vehicle body structures have been proposed. For example, there has been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 58(1983)-115468 a vehicle body structure in which the strength of the vehicle body is increased by providing on the front portion of the vehicle body a front frame which has a closed cross-section and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body along a front wheel apron, and the rear end of which abuts against a dashboard panel separating the passenger compartment from the engine compartment.
Further it has been known to connect a cowl panel to the upper portion of the dashboard panel to form a cowl structure having a closed cross-section and extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle body. With the cowl structure, a portion for supporting the lower edge of the windshield and a portion for supporting the wiper system can be strengthened. On the other hand, in order to conceal the wiper blade inside the vehicle body for the purpose of lowering air resistance and improving the external appearance, an open cowl structure having an opening in the upper wall portion is commonly employed. In such a case, a closed cross-section is generally formed on the upper portion of the dashboard panel in order to compensate for reduction in the strength and rigidity of the cowl portion resulting from formation of the opening.
With such a structure, the portion about the front wheel apron is reinforced by the front frame, and the portion for supporting the lower edge of the windshield is reinforced by the open cowl structure having the closed cross-section extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle body. However, the portions are only separately reinforced, and accordingly, the strength and the rigidity of the portion between the cowl portion and the front frame are insufficient as compared with those of the portions about the cowl portion and the front frame.